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Elizabeth David's Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is a classic French chocolate cake.  It's very dense and rich, not one of those light and airy American-style cakes.  Plus, it's great for people with wheat/gluten allergies (though very bad for those with egg allergies, sorry Catherine!).

Ingredients:

4        ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate (114 grams)
1        teaspoon vanilla extract
1        Tablespoon brewed espresso (or any other *strong* brewed coffee)
1        Tablespoon dark rum
6        Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2    cup sugar
1/2    cup ground almonds
3        large eggs, separated

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and butter an 8-inch springform pan.

2. In a heavy saucepan over low heat (or in a double-boiler), melt chocolate with vanilla and brewed espresso and rum.

3. Add butter, sugar, and almonds and heat the mixture until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly.

4. Beat the 3 egg yolks until they are lemon coloured and stir them into the chocolate mixture.

5. Whip the 3 egg whites until they are just stiff and fold them gently into the chocolate mixture.

6. Turn the batter into the pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes. 

The cake will have some cracks on top, and a tester inserted into the cake will not come out clean (this is OK because the cake will continue to cook in the pan, you don't want to overcook it or it will be very dry).  Let the cake cool completely on a rack and remove the sides of the pan.  The cake will rise and then fall.  No frosting necessary, just serve it with whipped cream (with a little sugar and rum).

ps - Elizabeth David was a British food writer who wrote some great books during the 1950s-1970s about French, Italian, and British cuisines.